
In response to many requests, here are all five commitments in summary form.
When my wife and I visited four Disney Parks a year ago, it struck me how much the church could learn from the Disney Corporation. Here are five commitments of the Disney Corporation that could change the way we do things forever:
1. Embrace your guests:
Every staff member knows their real job
If you’ve every encountered a Disney staff member, every single one is an expert on everything in the park. You can approach a cleaner, a restroom attendant, a waitress, a security guard - and a number of things become evident:
2. Embrace excellence
There are four Disney theme parks in Orlando. My wife and I needed to travel between two of them. Disney runs an all-day shuttle service between its four properties. Shuttle buses are hardly Disney's core business. Their core business is the theme parks. The shuttle buses are merely a logistical necessity.
But everything about the shuttle bus exuded excellence. The driver welcomed us warmly. The bus was in great shape. As we pulled out from the kerb, a commentary came on the PA. "You are riding the Disney Transportation System. Our buses are maintained to the highest possible standard ..." And so it went. Yes - they gave us the information we needed, but everything about that bus ride made us believe that for those people involved in this 'ancillary' service, that bus ride was the most important part of our day. And they were going to do whatever it took to make it work for us.
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3. Embrace the unexpected
What do you do when things go wrong in your ministry at your church? Does it disappoint you and derail your programme? Or have you prepared for it? More importantly - when the unexpected happens - will you embrace it?
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4. Embrace the future
"We look forward to the future."
"We love the way things are always different."
"We're changing everything to suit the new generation."
"If we're going to attract younger people, we need to do it differently."
"We've got ideas that will revolutionise the way we do things."
Who is more likely to say these words? An executive at Disney, or the pastor at your local church?
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5. Embrace possibility thinking
"All things are possible”. Who believes this more? A Disney executive? Or a church leader?
Read more ...
When my wife and I visited four Disney Parks a year ago, it struck me how much the church could learn from the Disney Corporation. Here are five commitments of the Disney Corporation that could change the way we do things forever:
1. Embrace your guests:
Every staff member knows their real job
If you’ve every encountered a Disney staff member, every single one is an expert on everything in the park. You can approach a cleaner, a restroom attendant, a waitress, a security guard - and a number of things become evident:
- They have a comprehensive knowledge of everything in the park
- They own the whole vision
- They never say “I’m sorry - that’s not my department”
- Their sole focus in to enhance the experience of the guest
2. Embrace excellence
There are four Disney theme parks in Orlando. My wife and I needed to travel between two of them. Disney runs an all-day shuttle service between its four properties. Shuttle buses are hardly Disney's core business. Their core business is the theme parks. The shuttle buses are merely a logistical necessity.
But everything about the shuttle bus exuded excellence. The driver welcomed us warmly. The bus was in great shape. As we pulled out from the kerb, a commentary came on the PA. "You are riding the Disney Transportation System. Our buses are maintained to the highest possible standard ..." And so it went. Yes - they gave us the information we needed, but everything about that bus ride made us believe that for those people involved in this 'ancillary' service, that bus ride was the most important part of our day. And they were going to do whatever it took to make it work for us.
Read more ...
3. Embrace the unexpected
What do you do when things go wrong in your ministry at your church? Does it disappoint you and derail your programme? Or have you prepared for it? More importantly - when the unexpected happens - will you embrace it?
Read more ...
4. Embrace the future
"We look forward to the future."
"We love the way things are always different."
"We're changing everything to suit the new generation."
"If we're going to attract younger people, we need to do it differently."
"We've got ideas that will revolutionise the way we do things."
Who is more likely to say these words? An executive at Disney, or the pastor at your local church?
Read more ...
5. Embrace possibility thinking
"All things are possible”. Who believes this more? A Disney executive? Or a church leader?
Read more ...